ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software update 8/19/91 -------------------------------------------------- This file documents the ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software. These utilities are packaged with all ICD ST Hard Drive Systems and ICD ST host adapters and WILL ONLY WORK WITH AN ICD HOST ADAPTER in your system. They are all Copyright 1987-1991 by ICD, Inc., and are provided for our ICD ST host adapter customers only. Companies using this software with their products must include an ICD ST host adapter as part of that product or they will be in violation of United States and/or International Copyright Laws! If you have any questions: ICD, Inc. 1220 Rock Street Rockford, IL 61101-1437 Voice: (815) 968-2228 BBS: (815) 968-2229 FAX: (815) 968-6888 Orders: (800) 373-7700 NO TECH SUPPORT on this number!!! The ICD BBS always has the latest versions of the ICD ST host adapter software, as well as various handy utilities, etc., all yours for the downloading. Our BBS has a US Robotics 9600 baud HST modem and is usually up 24 hours a day. Support and updated files are also available on GEnie (ICDINC) and CompuServe (76004,1600). Suggestion: make a printed copy of this file for future reference. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ This documentation only includes changes made to the ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software since the latest manual was printed. The latest manual has the number 36-90 in the lower-right corner of the back cover. If you would like to receive the latest manual and the latest software on disk, send $15 to ICD (Canadian customers send US $20 and overseas customers send US $25). +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Changes to the ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software since the latest manual was printed: - The TIMESET function is now incorporated in ICDBOOT. This means that the hard drive clock will automatically be read and the system clock be set upon bootup, when using a host adapter with real-time clock. This option may be disabled in the "Config" option of HDUTIL for those choosing to use their Mega internal clock or other clock device. It is no longer necessary to have ICDTIME or TIMESET in your AUTO folder to set the system clock. You must still run ICDTIME to install the clock handler in memory before using the Control Panel or other software to reset the clock in the ICD host adapter. - ICDBOOT now recognizes hard disks formatted and partitioned with MS-DOS on a PC. This should simplify the transfer of files between PCs and STs using removable media (SyQuest, etc.) much easier. NOTE: although reading and writing MS-DOS partitions is supported, most of the ICD utilities will not work with MS-DOS partitions. - Previous versions of ICDBOOT would always change the screen to medium resolution when booting with a color monitor. The resolution is now configurable with HDUTIL, allowing you to boot in any ST/TT graphics mode available on your system. As of ICDBOOT 5.5.0, you can also choose to completely skip any resolution change; this will be useful for those with 1024x768 color monitors which require special driver software to load before any other program. - ICDBOOT will now work without an ICD host adapter connected to the system. An ICD host adapter is still required for the use of the utilities such as HDUTIL, ICDFMT, etc. This feature was added so that people using an ICD tape backup system on an Atari TT or Mega STE can continue to boot their internal HD even with the tape drive disconnected. This is also for users of the Atari Stacy who do not wish to carry an external hard drive with them. When booting without an ICD host adapter present, the ICD caches will be disabled, resulting in performance similar to the hard disk drivers from other companies. IMPORTANT NOTE: even with this new capability, this software is only for use by people who OWN an ICD host adapter. - This release now fully supports the Atari TT SCSI port as well as the ACSI port. For the most part, hard drives connected to the SCSI port of the TT can be treated just like drives connected to the ICD AdSCSI host adapter. The primary difference is that the devices connected to the ICD AdSCSI are numbered 0-7 and the devices connected to the TT SCSI port are devices 8-15. Since the TT itself is a SCSI device, it uses one of the device numbers. The ICD software sets the TT to SCSI ID #7 (device 15), so that number is not available for any other devices. Drive letters are assigned to devices attached to the SCSI port before those attached to the ACSI/DMA port. Keep in mind that an ICD AdSCSI host adapter is still required to use the ICD host adapter software on the TT. - Due to changes in the boot sector, you should run HDUTIL to install the latest boot sector and ICDBOOT.SYS. On the TT, the boot sector that gets installed is different on a drive connected to the SCSI port than one connected to the ACSI port. - COPYFIX.PRG has been updated to fix a bug which caused compatibility problems with several applications. There should no longer be any problems with it. - All programs have been tested and modified as necessary to present a proper display in the Atari TT's new graphics modes. Be advised, though, that any programs which didn't work in the ST's low-resolution also will not work in TT low-res (256 color mode). - Several minor bugs have been fixed. Because of this, it is advisable that you always use the latest version of the ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter software. - When using the ESC key to disable the booter options, only the caching gets disabled. The TOS buffers are still allocated so that BGM partitions can be accessed. If you need the additional memory, use HDUTIL to disable the buffers and reboot. - Simple statistics on the cache effectiveness are maintained and can be checked with CACHEHIT.TOS. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Changes to files on the distribution diskette: ADSCSI.CPX version 1.x This is an extension for Atari's Extensible Control Panel (XCONTROL). See the file ADSCSI.TXT for additional information. BOOTFIX.TOS version 2.x This has been updated to support drives attached to the TT SCSI port as well as the ACSI\DMA port. There is no need to run this program if you have formatted with ICDFMT.PRG version 4.62 or later as this bit is automatically set when formatting or partitioning. *** CAUTION *** After running BOOTFIX be sure you NEVER format a Seagate drive using a version of ICDFMT.PRG older than 4.62. Doing so will cause you to get four bombs on power up. The reason for this is not known. If you do this the solution is to turn off the offending hard disk, run ICDFMT.PRG version 4.62 or later and let it go through to the 'No SCSI devices found' dialog box. Then power on your hard drive and after letting it initialize, click on RESCAN. Then go through a format or partition operation and all should be OK again. This caution does not apply to Quantum Drives. CACHEHIT.TOS version 1.x This program displays the effectiveness of the caches. It displays the percentage of reads which were satisfied by the cache, and the percentage of writes which updated entries already in the cache. This can be used to determine what cache settings are the most efficient for your system. It's important to note that this only gives statistics for the cache buffers, and not the TOS buffers. The TOS buffers are maintained by the operating system and can't be checked. The ICD AdSCSI ST host adapter manual explains the TOS buffers in more detail. CACHEOFF.PRG version 1.x CACHEON.PRG version 1.x These programs are used to enable and disable the write cache function of ICDBOOT. Users of the Supercharger PC emulator must turn off the write cache before running the Supercharger intialization program or the Supercharger will NOT be able to write to the hard disk. Turning the cache off this way does not reduce memory usage. CFGCBOOT.PRG version 2.x This program configures COLDBOOT.PRG to skip selected ACSI/DMA devices. See section on COLDBOOT.PRG (below) for additional documentation. CLDEMO.PRG version 4.xx This is a demo version of our CLEANUP ST program. It will locate bad sectors, corrupted files/directories, bad FAT tables, collisions between multiple files, bad directory names, invalid allocation chains, and other defects. The working version of CLEANUP ST allows you to correct these defects and recover as many files as possible. The working version of the program is available direct from ICD for US $29.95. Send Attn: CLST Order. Orders outside the USA need to add US $5 for shipping and handling charges. See CLDEMO.DOC for more complete documentation. COLDBOOT.PRG version 2.x This has been updated to support devices attached to the TT SCSI port as well as the ACSI/DMA port. Versions 1.30 and later of ICD COLDBOOT.PRG are configurable to allow skipping of the ACSI/DMA ID of the Supercharger from Talon Technologies. To configure COLDBOOT run CFGCBOOT and specify the ID(s) you wish to skip when doing a coldboot. The Supercharger is normally shipped as ID 3. This should only be necessary for those users who do not have Quantum, Seagate, or other drives which autoboot upon power-up, and who are also using the Supercharger. COPYFIX.PRG version 1.5 This has been updated to fix a bug which caused compatibility problems with several applications. There should no longer be any problems with it. DESKTOP.PRG version 3.xx This program (formerly a desk accessory) has been updated to be compatible the Atari TT and all TOS versions. See DESKTOP.DOC for a more complete explanation of changes since previous versions. HDPARK.TOS version 2.x This has been updated to support the TT SCSI port. This program replaces MAKEPARK.PRG. See HDPARK.DOC for complete documentation. HDPARTS.TOS version 2.xx This program displays various statistics about each hard drive partition on the system. For the most part, this information will only be of use to people who have some understanding of disk structures. HDUTIL.PRG version 4.x There is now an option to set the bootup screen resolution in ICDBOOT (it previously defaulted to medium resolution on a color monitor). This has been updated to support the TT SCSI port. This affects several functions: - Setting a hard disk for auto-booting will result in either TT-SCSI boot sectors or ACSI/DMA boot sectors being written to the drive based on which port the drive is connected to. If you ever move the drive to the other port, you will have to reinstall the boot sector with HDUTIL. - It is possible to disable scanning of any of the 16 devices. The devic